The Government’s changes would have given the green light to racial hate speech and the Australian Greens were very proud to stand with the community and say we didn’t want to give bigots the go-ahead.

The Prime Minister’s backflip is a win for everyone who stands against racism and intolerance. We have shown that when we work together, we can change the direction of this Government.

Thank you to everyone who signed a petition, called their MP and put in a submission.

The Greens will continue to promote inclusion and acceptance and we will fight against hate and discrimination wherever we see it.

RESPECT for people of different cultures is something worth protecting.

People from many different cultural backgrounds call Australia home. Multiculturalism is one of our country’s greatest assets.

But racial slurs and daily discrimination are still a reality for too many people in our society. The Racial Discrimination Act is an important piece of legislation that protects people living in Australia from racially-motivated hate speech.

Despite widespread support for these laws, the government has announced plans to strip away the parts of Australia’s Racial Discrimination Act which protect against humiliating and offensive racial abuse.

The Greens are standing with cultural leaders from across the country to say there is no place for racial hate speech in Australia.

We won’t support any moves that weaken protections for vulnerable people.